


For You

by 46hasu



Series: Recovery in Dirtmouth [1]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post Dream No More Ending, Sibling Bonding, THK POV, i dont think i can write anything other than angst at this point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 15:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20155990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/46hasu/pseuds/46hasu
Summary: The Hollow Knight tries to adjust to the normal life in Dirtmouth with its sibling. But it is difficult when they have spent its entire life trying to be hollow.





	For You

It didn’t have a reason to leave the quiet town known as Dirtmouth. So it mostly stayed in the little house that its sibling laid claim to after being abandoned. It usually stayed near the window, watching the townspeople go on their day and wait for their sibling to return with trinkets they found and lesser bugs they hunted. Its half-sister would often accompany their sibling back to Dirtmouth but today wasn’t the case. 

It got up from its usual place near the window to open the door for its small sibling. They gave it a pat on the legs (show of appreciation according to sister) and started to empty their loot of the day on to the desk. 

A handful of geos, hunted tik tiks that its sibling usually sells to other townsfolk and several worn-out journals that neither sibling could read. Every once in a while an item would capture its sibling's attention and they would fidget with it. They would bang it against the desk a couple of times (the king would surely disapprove) and handed the item over to it. It held on it to the item but did nothing despite the (expectant?) stare of its sibling. 

Eventually, they stopped staring at it and continued to shuffle through their loot. They continued to hand random items that caught their attention to it and it would hold it, not knowing what else to do. 

After an hour or so, its sibling seemed to be satisfied with the pile and proceeded to organize it in different categories. The ones on the table were sold to merchants and townsfolk or were discarded, ones on the ground were kept in case it became useful later on. 

It placed all the items its sibling gave them back on the table and watched them organize. Tiktiks on the table, geo on the floor, journals on the table, a crystal on the floor, an idol on the table-

Wait. 

It sat up straighter. Not just any idol. An idol of the king. 

Surely, placing it on the table was a mistake. The King’s Idol wasn’t something that could be discarded. 

Their sibling stared at it, curious to what has caught its attention. It pointed at the King’s Idol with its head tilted, trying to explain their mistake. It could feel their confusion from its actions along with other emotions that they felt. Some of it felt...uplifting? 

It finally gave up on pointing at the idol and plucked it out from the pile instead. It handed over the idol to them and watched. They took the idol gingerly and tilted their head at it still confused. 

_ What about it? _

It pointed at the idol they were holding and pointed at the pile on the ground. They should notice their mistake now, right?

They stared at it, confusion still going through their mind. After a few minutes, they shook their head and placed it back on the table with the pile that was meant to be discarded. 

Now it felt (no, not felt) confused. Something or several somethings went through its head, it reached out for the idol and threw it on the ground. 

Too forceful, it cringes at the realization of what it did. It caused too much commotion.

Its sibling’s emotion cuts through its self scolding. It looks up at its sibling with its head lowered, trying to apologize for their overreaction. 

The sibling only stared at it. They made no movements but it could feel so many of their emotions running through them. It recoils from all these rampant emotions that were too complex for it to fully understand. These emotions didn’t belong to it (it shouldn’t) but it was still overwhelming nonetheless. 

Confusion. Uncertainty. Hesitation. And then, anger. Sharp and painful anger. Until it is stamped out suddenly by their sibling before it can fully understand their thoughts. 

It bows its head, exposing its neck. It failed. It angered its sibling. 

The old king's words resurfaced from its memories. 

_ Worthless. Worthless. Worthless. A failure.  _

He would spend hours in the workshop discarding the failed wingsmoulds and kingsmoulds brutally. It would watch him throw away the failed creations. Failed creations like it. 

It was worthless. It was a failure. Its sibling surely knew that now. 

They stared at it, not making a move. If they felt anything right now, it couldn’t tell. They had blocked it off their mind. 

It looked at the ground and waited to be discarded. It would be patient, it was the least it could do. 

Suddenly, there was shuffling, the sound of the door closing, and then silence.

It continued to look at the ground and waited. 

And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. 

It eventually lifted its head (how impatient) and found its sibling gone. Another look around the room revealed that the table was now cleared. It bowed its head again to wait some more and saw the idol was now on the pile that was meant to be kept. 

The King carved of ivory stared at it. 

_ Worthless _ . 

* * *

It continued to wait, keeping its head low. Time passed but it stayed still and waiting. 

The door’s hinges squeaked from the rust to let it know its sibling was back. It continued to keep its head low and prepared to be discarded. They can throw it back to the Abyss like the rest of the siblings that were discarded for being worthless. It was weak and blemished. It didn't deserve to live as it had. 

“What are you doing?” a bemused voice cut through the silence. 

Ah, it was the sister, not them. Perhaps she could finish the job as well. She knew long before their sibling that it was full of faults. It failed to contain the infection. The weak have no place in Hallownest, she would warn travelers. And it was very much weak. 

There was an irritated sigh from her. “Get up. I have no patience for this right now.” 

It slowly got up despite its aching and stiff joints and sat up straight.

“Where is the Ghost?” Hornet asked impatiently.

It slowly shook its head to show that it doesn’t know. They have been gone for a long time.

Hornet didn’t seem surprised at this as she studied it carefully.

“I have a business with you.” She reaches into her cloak and takes out a spool of silk. “They told me that your cape has tears that need mending.” 

Placing her needle near her, she took a seat beside it. “They weren’t wrong. Stay still and it will be over quick.” 

It continued to stay still as she muttered under her breath about measurements and the poor maintenance of its cape.

“How troublesome,” she grumbled, as she found another tear. “If they hadn’t offered to take care of those wretched flukes in the waterways I wouldn’t have done this. You should help them since they are doing this for you.”

It was a strange notion. Its sibling doing something for it. They already have done enough but they continued giving. 

And it caused a commotion over a simple idol. 

“I said stay still,” Hornet spoke gruffly. “You’re slouching.” 

It immediately took its former position and tried to keep still. 

“You seem out of it,” Hornet said with her eyes still focused on its cape. “More than usual at least.” 

More than usual? It tilted its head at her for clarification. 

She huffed. “Ever since the Ghost and I got you out of the temple, you have been different from what I remember. Always slouching and fidgeting.” 

Its body was weaker than its prime ever since coming out of the temple, so it was a little more difficult to control its body properly to keep still.

“And today, you keep slouching more than usual,” Hornet paused. “Did you and the Ghost have a disagreement?” 

No. Yes. 

It was mostly on its end though. 

_ Worthless _ . 

Hornet cut the last of the silk on its cape and started to wind it around her spool. “Well, whatever happened, I’m sure you both can resolve it on your own.” She put away her spool and looked sharply at it. “Know this sibling, it was their idea to help you out of the temple if it were just me I probably would have left you to die.” 

It felt itself wince at her words. Back when it was still weak and recovering from its wounds, it expected its siblings to kill it for its failures. But they both helped it recover from its wounds and gave it a place to stay. 

“If seeing you so weak and witnessing your failures wasn’t enough to convince them to end you, then I don’t see why a simple disagreement would change what they think about you. Make it up to them, it’s the least you owe.” 

Without another word, she left. 

It stared at the door for a while and slowly got up to exit the house after grabbing its pure nail. Maybe she was right, it could properly apologize for the commotion it caused and give something back in return. Perhaps it could help exterminate the flukes or accompany them for protection whenever they leave the town. 

The townsfolk paid it no attention when it walked over to the bench and sat down beside it. It will wait for them to return here. 

Soft noises of footsteps awoke it from its slumber. It looked up to find its sibling walking towards it. They stopped before it and started to shuffle through their inventory until they brought out a sack that has been tied shut tightly to not let its contents fall. Its sibling shuffled in place for a while until they held the sack up for it to take. 

It slowly took the item from them and held it in its hand. The sack was surprisingly heavier than it looked. What did they collect?

They continued to stare at it until it figured out they were supposed to open the sack. It laid it on the ground gingerly and undid the knot on the sack. Almost immediately after the knot was undone, dozens of King’s Idol started to pour out of the sack. 

It stared at the pile of idols confused until it looked back up at its sibling for an explanation. 

Seeing its confusion, they pointed at the idols and at them. Excitement emanated off them as they picked an idol up and handed it over. 

_ For you.  _

Oh. It was a gift. 

A gift for it. 

Heat flooded through its chest as it stared down at the idol its sibling gave them. Not the burning and painful one that the Old Light caused when it contained her. This one was much warmer and comforting. 

Its sibling was going through their own emotions as they hopped on a bench to pet its head. Their emotions were bittersweet and muddled but they still continued to pet its head gently. 

It held tightly to the idol of its father and leaned into their touch. 

For the first time, it found itself safe and irreplaceable. 

* * *

The Ghost of Hallownest continued to pat their sibling’s head even after they fell asleep. Their sibling continued to clutch the King’s Idol tightly in their sleep while the other idols lay on the ground though they weren’t discarded.

There was a small voice in the back of Ghost’s mind, telling them to get rid of the blasted idols of the cowardly king. And they nearly listened. 

Nearly. They couldn’t do it. Not when the idols were the only thing that made their sibling truly happy after a long, long time. Maybe it was the only thing that could make them happy.

So they ignored the voice and their own bitterness at their sibling’s loyalty to the king. 

If they were happy then they would suppress their own emotions for them. 

The light of the lumafly lanterns reflected off the idols and the King’s old voice that haunted Ghost’s memories whispered. But this voice was quiet and hollow as the old prayers to the void. 

_ No cost too great.  _

**Author's Note:**

> I figured having HK refer to themselves as it would be more characteristic. Ghost meanwhile refers HK as they.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Fountainhead](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22236490) by [Syntax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syntax/pseuds/Syntax)


End file.
